Thirty members celebrated the 30th anniversary of a therapy centre by hurtling at speeds in excess of 100mph, hundreds of feet above the ground.

The members of Leicestershire Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre marked the anniversary by visiting what is claimed to be the fastest zip wire ride in the world.

A spokesman for the centre, in Freeman's Common Road, said the visit to the Penrhyn Quarry, in Bethesda, Wales, was a memorable day.

He said: "The centre is 30, so we wanted to do something out of the ordinary.

"We are embarking on 12 months of events and wanted to start it with something spectacular."

He said three members of the party got out of their wheelchairs to ride the zip wire.

He said: "There was a little zip ride which got you primed for the big event. It was amazing.

"Going at those speeds along the wire so high up was incredible experience."

Mr Hughes said the centre, which when it started offered only hyperbaric oxygen therapy for its members, has now blossomed into a place where people who suffer from MS, as well as a number of other similar illnesses, can benefit from a range of therapies and treatments.